Many junior doctors in Bristol would need to work for a decade before they can ‘hope to own a home’ in the city, according to the city's representative for the British Medical Association (BMA). Dr Emma Coombe said that's the position faced by junior doctors while the cost of living continues to rise above salaries.
Junior doctors in England say they are paid 26 per cent less in real terms than they were in 2008 - but their current 72-hour walk out is about more than just pay. Those who have been on strike across England since Monday (January 13), like their colleagues in the NHS, have found themselves with a recruitment crisis.
In 2022, the British Medical Journal (BMJ) conducted a survey that found more than a third of junior doctors planned on leaving the NHS in favour of better paid jobs in countries like Australia and New Zealand. While the starting rate of pay for junior doctors is just £14.09 per hour, many also find themselves with huge student loan debts which can amount to over £100,000 in some cases.
